County C&O Teams

[gpdexplorer 46]

How many county C&O zones are there? And what general area does each one cover?

I've seen pictures of C&O trucks that have PD's on, are most C&O teams staffed by PD?

Thanks for the help.

[RWC130 594]

CREDIT: http://www.westchestergov.com/EmergServ/Fire/coteam.htm

WESTCHESTER COUNTY

Cause & Origin Team

Capt. Eugene Malone

Investigator James Cuffe

4 Dana Road, Valhalla, New York, 10595

(914) 231-1850

OUR MISSION

The mission of the Arson Zone Plan remains the same as originally envisioned some 16 years ago, to provide local fire chiefs, upon request, with trained experts to assist in the determination of the cause and origin of suspicious fires. Naturally, by brining police and fire professionals trained in fire investigation together in teams, benefits would be realized in cause and origin matters, as well as the subsequent criminal investigations undertaken by local police departments.

OUR GOAL

The primary objectives of the Westchester County Cause and Origin Team include the following:

1. Establish and maintain a quality service to assist fire chiefs in the determination of cause and origin of suspicious fires throughout the county.

2. Establish and maintain standards for training and experience of police and fire professionals engaged as cause and origin team members.

3. Establish and maintain standardized call-out procedures and dispatches for cause and origin teams.

4. Establish and maintain standardized forms and report writing procedures for cause and origin teams.

BACKGROUND

The Westchester County Cause and Origin Team is composed of 30 fire investigators. These thirty, New York State Certified Fire Investigators are grouped into five teams of six investigators. The teams are assigned geographically so that we can provide these investigative services throughout the county. Our investigators are career and volunteer fire fighters or police officers. The Westchester County Cause and Origin Team Frequently works together with other agencies such as local police departments, the District Attorney’s Office, Medical Examiner’s Office, Department of Labs and Research-Forensic Lab, Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, to name a few.

The investigators are supervised by two area Deputy Fire Coordinators who are responsible for the provision and the coordination of fire investigation services on scene, securing and coordinating additional resources to assist in the work of the cause and origin teams, interagency relationships, education programs to emergency services and other groups, coordination among the teams, recruitment of team members and other functions as assigned by the Commissioner of the Department of Emergency Services to support the efforts of this program.

Zone 1 - Car 1401

Al Everett

White Plains Arson Squad

Yonkers Arson Squad

Zone 2 - Car 1402

Richard Barber

Steve Surace

Robert Gerardi

Bruce Kerr

Joseph Bonahan

William Sullivan

Cesar Merello

Zone 3 - Car 1403

Robert Moon

Gus Spedaliere

Eugene Malone

John Malone

John Peters

Robert Mentrasti

Zone 4 - Car 1404

Eric Dibartolo

John Jackson

James Seymour

Donald Maclennan

Mark Lewis

John Barirde (Adjunct)

Lyle Scalzo

Peter Kelly (Adjunct)

Zone 5 - Car 1405

Michael Repp

James Cuffe

Santo Curro

Thomas Wright

Joseph Lombardo III

Andy Morgans

John Van Voorhies (Adjunct)

William Richardson (Adjunct)